From Smartphone Apps to Confusing Websites, Vaccine Sign-Up Is Anything but Simple for Seniors

The many channels available to sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States is terribly confusing and frustrating for seniors, writes Mary Elizabeth Williams in Salon . There is little evidence that older Americans were solicited for input on the design of the various vaccine signup websites. "There are myriad problems and frustrations in communities across the country, and a common theme is that seniors with Internet proficiency and supportive intermediaries are vastly privileged," Williams notes. She cites an Associated Press story earlier this month estimating that 16.5 percent of Americans 65 and older lack Internet access, including 25 percent of blacks, about 21 percent of Hispanics, and more than 28 percent of Native Americans 65 and older. "The situation is additionally fraught because once a loved one manages to jump through all the hoops and get the vaccine, they have to come back and get the second dose," Williams writes.